It has been merely three years because the first ever all-5G smartphone launched. Coincidently, it was a Samsung flagship machine – the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G. Nonetheless, being a premium machine, it was exorbitantly priced. Quick ahead to 2023, when 5G smartphones have been democratised and can be found throughout value segments, it’s exhausting to grasp that this was as soon as a largely unique function. I not too long ago obtained a brand-new 5G smartphone from the home of Samsung for evaluation – the Samsung Galaxy M14 5G – and to be sincere, this reasonably priced cellphone impressed me significantly throughout my testing interval of 1 week. Not solely does this cellphone pack 5G connectivity, which was lacking in its predecessor, however it additionally sports activities a 5 nm processor – a real rarity at this value level. So, does the Samsung Galaxy M14 5G revolutionise the sub-₹15,000 smartphone market? That’s the query I got down to reply, and you’ll get a definitive reply by my evaluation of the Samsung Galaxy M14 5G.
Samsung Galaxy M14 5G Evaluation: Construct and Design
Samsung has been on the prime of its design sport in 2023 and this isn’t simply restricted to its flagship sequence of smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy A34 5G I not too long ago reviewed had an unbelievably premium search for its value – and with the budget Samsung Galaxy M14, you’re as soon as once more seeing glimpses of the premium look that the corporate has got down to standardise throughout its varied choices.
Now, it could be improper of me to say that this machine appears to be like premium by and thru. No, it doesn’t. You continue to get a dated-looking teardrop notch, a big chin bezel, and a shiny rear panel end – all of which strip it off of its glamour, so to talk. Nonetheless, what you’re getting right here is a suitable design that’s harking back to Samsung’s extra premium choices, primarily because of the digital camera module design.
Just like the premium S23 sequence and the mid-range A34, the three rear cameras are housed in round ring-like modules minus the metallic strip that runs across the aforementioned units’ digital camera modules. The standardisation of the look makes the machine extra recognisable as a Samsung machine. The Samsung Galaxy M13 additionally had the same design, and I’m glad Samsung caught to this system as a result of it really works.
Would we slightly have a matte rear again panel? Sure, after all. The shiny panel on the M14 attracts fingerprints and smudges galore. Regardless of this, the minimalist design appears to be like stylish and stylish, for my part. A transparent case would additionally assist mitigate the fingerprint situation whereas retrieving the general look of the cellphone.
The Galaxy M14 5G homes a USB-Sort C port, a single speaker, and a 3.5 mm audio jack on the backside of the cellphone. On the appropriate, you get the quantity rockers and energy button, each of which have good tactility. The latter doubles as a fingerprint sensor which is decently quick, however I skilled just a few misreads throughout my testing. The proper aspect homes the SIM tray with slots for 2 SIMs and a microSD card. The cellphone is snug to carry because of the rounded edges, however it’s fairly thick at 9.4 mm.
Samsung Galaxy M14 5G Evaluation: Show
The Samsung Galaxy M14 5G has a reasonably good show with easy 90 Hz refresh price assist. It’s a 6.6-inch PLS LCD panel with FHD+ decision. The show is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 towards unintended drops as properly. Nonetheless, it isn’t with out its shortcomings. The PLS LCD panel can’t evaluate to AMOLED panels which another telephones at this value level supply, one instance being the Realme 10.
Moreover, the teardrop notch and the massive chin bezel actually affect how immersive the show feels. The show is brilliant sufficient although. Indoors, I examined the display screen utilizing a lux meter and received a studying of 421 nits at most brightness, which is nice for indoor utilization. If you’re outside, I counsel turning on Adaptive Brightness as a result of it boosts brightness ranges significantly when beneath direct daylight. I received a studying of 865 nits outside beneath daylight, which is decently brilliant and legibility in daylight is passable as properly.
In my testing although, I discovered that the Adaptive Brightness function tends to set the brightness too low when indoors always. I typically felt the necessity to manually increase the brightness manually, which was fairly bothersome.
The show has pure colors and good element, nevertheless, the viewing angles are mediocre. The show just isn’t HDR licensed however does include Widevine L1 assist, so you may watch TV sequence and flicks on OTT platforms in HD. The 90 Hz refresh price permits for easy scrolling between screens, when studying articles, and on social media. It’s a welcome addition to the Galaxy M14 since its predecessor missed out on quick refresh price assist.
Samsung Galaxy M14 5G Evaluation: Efficiency and UI
Fitted with an Exynos 1330 5 nm SoC, the Samsung Galaxy M14 5G looks as if an unbelievable performance-oriented beast, on paper. 5 nm processors beneath ₹15,000 are extraordinarily uncommon. The truth is, I don’t assume there have been every other smartphones with 5 nm processors beneath ₹15K apart from this one on the time of writing this text. So, naturally, I had nice expectations. Was the cellphone in a position to totally match as much as them? Sure… nearly.
The Samsung Galaxy M14 5G comes packing 4/6 GB RAM (I received the 6 GB variant for evaluation) and 128 GB inner storage. The storage is expandable through microSD as much as 1 TB, at all times an important factor to have. Now, the Exynos 1330 processor performs extraordinarily properly in most eventualities however there are cases the place I confronted a little bit of stutter and lag when utilizing the cellphone. That is with the 6 GB variant, thoughts you.
I ran a slew of benchmarks on this cellphone as properly, and it carried out extraordinarily properly – particularly in CPU benchmarks. I in contrast the cellphone’s outcomes with others in and across the ₹13-18K value level such because the Redmi Word 12, Infinix Word 12 Turbo, Moto G42, and Realme 9i 5G. The Samsung Galaxy M14 5G comfortably beat all of those units in CPU exams comparable to AnTuTu, GeekBench, and PCMark Work.
I additionally ran GPU benchmarks on the cellphone, and the Galaxy M14 5G carried out decently properly. It beat all telephones within the 3D Mark Wild Life and GFXBench Aztec Ruins exams. Nonetheless, in GFXBench’s Automotive Chase and Manhattan 3.1 exams, the Infinix Word 12 Turbo and Realme 9i 5G overpowered the Galaxy M14 5G by a small margin. Subsequent, I ran the CPU Throttling Check to test the cellphone’s efficiency beneath sustained workloads, and the cellphone carried out properly – throttling to solely 82 per cent of its peak efficiency after quarter-hour of the check.
Owing to those scores and my basic expertise, I can safely say that the Samsung Galaxy M14 is a succesful performer beneath ₹15,000 that may carry out basic, day-to-day duties properly with only some hitches. I like to recommend the 6 GB RAM variant of this cellphone, as a result of the 4 GB one could also be plagued with much more lag.
Now, I additionally tried gaming on this cellphone and thru my expertise, I can say that this cellphone just isn’t for hardcore players. Mild video games comparable to Sweet Crush work properly and in video games comparable to Name of Responsibility: Cell, I skilled fairly easy gameplay on Medium graphics with minimal body drops. Nonetheless, in Apex Legends Cell, there have been frequent body drops particularly while you land on the bottom. The cellphone doesn’t warmth a lot, however the fixed body drops in heavy-duty video games may be barely jarring. Nonetheless, that is me nitpicking, and the general efficiency is sort of spectacular at this value.
Transferring on to the UI, the cellphone comes with Android 13 out of the field with One UI Core 5.1 on prime. One UI Core is mainly a stripped-down model of regular One UI. Nonetheless, it nonetheless has some nice Samsung options comparable to Safe Folder, Fast Share, Samsung Pockets, Sport Launcher, and some extra. Samsung has additionally promised two years of OS updates and 4 years of safety updates – which is sort of respectable. The OS appears to be like clear however has some bloatware within the type of Samsung apps and different third-party preinstalled apps. There’s additionally Samsung Look on the lock display screen which is difficult to disable.
Samsung Galaxy M14 5G Evaluation: Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy M14 5G has a triple rear digital camera setup consisting of a 50 MP main lens, 2 MP depth shooter, and a couple of MP macro lens. This nearly seems like a downgrade, contemplating the Samsung Galaxy M13 got here packing an ultrawide shooter which is way extra helpful than the macro or depth lens. I’d slightly have Samsung ditch each the macro and depth lens (because the portrait bokeh impact may be achieved by software program) in favour of an ultrawide shooter. The cellphone additionally will get a 13 MP digital camera for selfies.
I examined out all these cameras extensively and was usually appreciative of the outcomes, particularly at this aggressive value level. The first digital camera takes detailed photos in daylight with good color and distinction. The dynamic vary is fairly on level in most eventualities, besides when there’s harsh lighting within the background. In such instances, shadows get crushed however the highlights are nonetheless saved in test. Listed below are some digital camera samples. Do word that these images have been compressed for the online.
Pictures taken indoors look good as properly, however there may be some softness at instances. Pure background blur is nice because of the dimension of the lens however I did spot some fringing in just a few photos. Portrait pictures look good, and Samsung captures pores and skin tones properly. The colors are fairly pure, with only a trace of saturation. Edge detection is sweet for the value, however count on the cellphone to offer individuals haircuts on occasion when taking portrait pictures because it isn’t in a position to precisely blur out each stray strand of hair.
The two MP macro lens clicks some respectable pictures however you need to maintain the cellphone extraordinarily nonetheless for there to be no blur. Focussing through this lens is respectable although, not as unhealthy as we’ve seen on another 2 MP macro cameras at this value.
In low gentle, the first digital camera struggles to protect element and the pictures taken have a good bit of noise. In case you activate Evening Mode, numerous these points are alleviated and also you get a lot clearer and extra detailed pictures with little noise. Video is proscribed to 1080p at 30 fps on each cameras and the footage is respectable in daylight, however there’s uncontrolled noise in low gentle.
The selfie digital camera clicks superb photos in daylight with natural-looking pores and skin tones and good element retention. Portrait pictures from the selfie digital camera even have respectable edge detection. Nonetheless, in low gentle, you will note some noise beginning to creep in.
Samsung Galaxy M14 5G Evaluation: Battery life
That is the place the Samsung Galaxy M14 5G really shines. Outfitted with a ginormous 6,000 mAh cell and the comparatively power-efficient Exynos 1330 SoC, the Samsung Galaxy M14 has a particularly long-lasting battery life. Most customers ought to simply be capable of squeeze out two days’ value of battery life on a single cost. In case you’re a lightweight person, it’s possible you’ll even be capable of push it to a few!
In our 4K video loop check, the Samsung Galaxy M14 lasted for a whopping 18.5 hours on a single cost. GPS Navigation through Google Maps for one hour solely price the cellphone 3 per cent battery (from 57%-54%) and watching Netflix for half-hour dropped the battery by merely 2 per cent (from 51%-49%).
That is much more than the battery efficiency we received on the Galaxy M13 which additionally housed a 6,000 mAh battery. One other space the place the Galaxy M14 improves over its predecessor is quick charging. The M14 comes with 25 W quick charging assist whereas the M13 solely supported 15 W. I recorded a charging time of 1 hour and 22 minutes to take the battery from 0-100 per cent, which is fairly respectable.
Our solely gripe right here is that you simply don’t get an influence brick within the field. There’s solely a USB-Sort C charging cable supplied, so clients must spend extra to get one in the event that they don’t have a 25 W charger helpful already.
Samsung Galaxy M14 5G Evaluation: Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy M14 5G has a trifecta of strengths – battery life, efficiency, and digital camera. It affords nice bang to your buck by not solely offering you with 5G connectivity on a budget but in addition delivering by way of uncooked efficiency. Whereas that is positively not a cellphone for hardcore players who play intensive smartphone video games, it’s greater than able to operating most simple apps with out a hitch and even taking part in video games comparable to COD: Cell on Medium graphics with ease. And for anybody searching for distinctive battery life – this units an important normal beneath ₹15,000.
Nonetheless, it does miss out on some necessities – a charger within the field, an AMOLED show, and an ultrawide digital camera. Many of those necessities are current in competing merchandise which may hamper its recognition. All that apart, for individuals who desire a budget 5G cellphone with reliable efficiency and a very good digital camera, I’d be greater than snug recommending the Samsung Galaxy M14 5G. There are just a few misses, however at this value level, they aren’t actually value complaining about an excessive amount of. Going again to the query I requested in my intro, does it revolutionise the sub-₹15,000 smartphone market? No. However it’s a standout product at this value, surely.
If I had one suggestions to offer Samsung, it could be to start out together with energy bricks within the containers of budget smartphones once more since most customers wouldn’t have a appropriate charger to energy the machine up with. They’d find yourself having to purchase the charging adapter individually, which negatively impacts each their wallets and the setting.
